What Click-To-Text Is — And How Your Business Can Use It

Woman texting on phone.

Consumers are big fans of messaging. They don’t just love to use it in their personal lives, either; 89% of consumers want to use messaging to communicate with businesses as well. And before you start thinking that it’s just millennials who want to text, take look at the stats: messaging is three to eight times more preferred than face-to-face communications across all generations. These stats show, in part, why click-to-text features have become prevalent on business’s websites.

Businesses have been trying to simplify customer-to-business communications, and click-to-text is the perfect answer to that challenge. Click-to-text features make it easy for customers to quickly contact businesses throughout their customer journey, from any web page, and with any device.

But what exactly is click-to-text and how exactly can your business use it? Let’s dive in.

Click-To-Text: What It Is And Why Consumers Love It

Messaging is extremely popular among consumers, especially on mobile phones. Seventy-seven percent of consumers keep notifications on for their mobile apps, and an astonishing 82% of consumers keep notifications on for their native SMS apps.

Considering how much they like their native SMS apps, it makes sense that consumers consider them a favorite tool for messaging businesses, too. Nearly half of consumers prefer to message businesses through their native SMS apps.

However, it can be a hassle for consumers to get in contact with businesses via text message. Consumers with questions have to navigate to a business’s “Contact Us” page, type in the company’s number, figure out whether the company accepts text messages, then text in. If customers complete this process on their phones, it can be difficult for them to navigate back and forth between the company’s webpage and their SMS app. Finally, these customers have to complete the opting-in process. At this point, some may give up and forego communications.

Click-to-text features provide customers with immediate chat capabilities, regardless of the device they are using. These capabilities are important, as 83% of Americans use the internet at least occasionally via a smartphone, tablet, or other mobile device, and over 73% send and receive texts.Click-to-text widget.

In essence, “click-to-text” refers to a small button (also known as a widget) on a website that, when clicked, launches the native texting app on a consumer’s phone, complete with the company’s phone number. Once consumers text in, they receive official requests for opting in via TCPA regulations. After opting in, they are free to communicate with customer service agents.  

Click-to-text messages eliminate many steps consumers usually have to take to get in touch with your business. Because they encourage expedient and simple business-to-customer communications, they can increase customer satisfaction—and even sales.

How Your Business Can Capitalize On Click-To-Text Messages

There are many ways for your business to use click-to-text, whether your business is service or product-oriented. While each company employs click-to-text messages differently, here are some good pointers if you’re not sure where to start.

Feature your click-to-text widget on important pages. If customers know your widget is available, they’ll use it. Ensure your widget is on all webpages, and prominently displayed on important pages where customers might have questions, like the shopping basket or checkout pages. This way, instead of abandoning baskets or when they have questions, they’ll simply quick the widget and ask. A widget highlighted on a marketing, product, or sales pages can also be useful, just in case consumers have questions about a specific product.M. Gemi website with click-to-text.

Highlight your texting services, especially if they are unique. You may consider featuring a short, specific call-to-action (CTA) about your texting services, particularly if they are special. For example, luxury shoe brand M. Gemi features a small statement about its fit specialists on the top of each webpage. Once consumers click on that, the texting number appears, as well as a link to an online chat. They also include a small widget in the corner of their webpages for added emphasis.  

Prioritize fast replies. When consumers click on chat buttons, they expect instant replies. Otherwise, they might as well have called or emailed your business. If you use an advanced business texting platform to facilitate your texting service, you can easily set up an auto reply that lets your customers know when they can expect a reply from your team. For example, an auto reply could read “Hi, you’ve reached Mary’s Donuts. An agent will be with you in ten minutes.” An after-hours message could read, “Hi, Mary’s Donuts here. Our hours of operation are from 9am to 5pm, Monday through Friday. We’ll get back to you then!”

Ultimately, the most important thing is to ensure that your click-to-text services provide value to your customers, inspiring them to enjoy your top-notch services again and again.

How Your Business Can Set Up A Click-To-Text Widget

Before you integrate a click-to-text widget, you’ll need to have an established number for consumers to text into, and a customer service team to handle incoming queries.

To set up the actual widget, you’ll need to insert a piece of code into your website, a relatively easy step with the right guidance. Our widget help article, for example, provides easy, step-by-step guides for inserting the widget code into websites built on Squarespace, WordPress, Weebly, and more.

A quality business texting platform will be able to provide a sleek widget image for you to use—and easy in-app customization options. When you use a business texting tool, you’ll also be able to receive any click-to-text messages in the same inbox as your other customer messages, streamlining texting services for your teams as well as your customers.

 

Have more questions about click-to-text messages? Give us a shout.

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